Magnetic drafting element



' Dec. 2, 1969 v. A. BURNHAM MAGNETIC DRAFTING ELEMENT Original Filed May 7, 1963 FIG. 3

United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A magnetic drafting element having a series of pairs of ferrous bottom rolls and overlying magnetic top rolls cooperating therewith to draft a sliver passing therethrough. The magnetic top rolls are guided and supported in a running position, wherein they overlie their cooperating bottom rolls, and in an inoperative position, wherein they are out of contact with their bottom rolls, b a

pair of pivoted bar members which are interconnected to opposite end portions of the top rolls and which may be pivoted upward, away from the bottom rolls and at least in part independently of each other, either manually by an operator or automatically by the occurrence of a fiber lap-up condition. In a preferred embodiment, switch means responsive to a predetermined degree of upward movement of either or both of the bar members are provided in association therewith, and are actuated thereby when a lap-up occurs, and the interconnection between the bar members and top rolls is adjustable to afford a desired degree of lost motion therebetween.

This application is a division of my application Ser. N. 509,461, filed Oct. 4, 1965, now abandoned, which is in turn a division of my applicantion Ser. No. 278,727, filed May 7, 1963, now Patent No. 3,268,953.

The invention of this application relates to the drafting of textile fibers, and provides a novel magnetic drafting element therefor.

The drafting element of the present invention includes at least one magnetic top roll which is guided and supported in a running position, wherein it overlies a cooperating bottom roll, and in an inoperative position, wherein it is out of contact with the bottom roll, by a pair of pivoted bar members which are interconnected to opposite end portions of the top roll and which may be pivoted upward, away from the bottom roll and at least in part independently of each other, either manually by an opeartor or automatically by the occurrence of a fiber lap-up condition. In a preferred embodiment, switch means responsive to a predetermined degree of upward movement of either or both of the bar members are provided in association therewith, and are actuated thereby when a lap-up occurs, and the interconnection between the bar members and top roll is adjustable to afford a desired degree of lost motion therebetween.

The various features of the invention will be readily understood by one skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a magnetic drafting element embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation thereof; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken generally along the line 33 of FIG. 2.

The novel magnetic, lap-up detecting drafting element of the invention shown in the drawings includes a series of four ferrous bottom rolls 10, 12, 14 and 16 and cooperating top rolls 11, 13, 15, and 17 for drafting a sliver 3,481,006 Patented Dec. 2, 1969 "ice passing therethrough. Bottom rolls 10, 12, 14 and 16 are mounted in suitable bearings on frame 20 and are driven in the usual manner to drive the rolls at increasing speeds in the direction of sliver movement and so draft a sliver passing therethrough. Mounted on frame 20 is a pair of bars 22, 24 having downwardly extending rear portions 23, 25 pivotally supported on frame 20. The forward end of said bars, which extend over all of the top rolls, overlies and is supported in operating position by fixed support 21 which extends upwardly from frame 20. Knobs 26, 28 are provided on the forward ends of bars 22, 24 for raising them from operative to inoperative position, and lap-up switches 8, 9 are mounted on supports 21 for operation by each bar.

Bars 22, 24 and top rolls 11, 13, 15 and 17 are interconnected by means to be now described.

The top rolls have reduced end portions 36 carrying sleeve elements 38 and bearing block elements 39 with antifriction bearings 37 therebetween, and are each supported and guided at each end by slotted elements supported in turn on bars 22, 24. Thus top roll 11 is supported by elements 50, 51 on bars 22;, 24 respectively; roll 13 by elements 52, 53; roll 15 by elements 54, 55; and roll 17 by elements 56, 57. These elements have bores 60 supporting them for adjustable positioning along bars 22, 24 and may be fixed in any desired adjusted position by set screws 62. A downwardly extending slot is provided on each of said elements between their legs 64, 66 for receiving the bearing blocks 39 of the top rolls, said top rolls being free to move up or down in said slots for a limited distance, limited in a direction toward the lower, open end of the slot by a stop member 68 and limited in a direction toward the upper, closed end of the slot by an adjustable screw contact 7 0.

In normal running position (FIG. 3) the bearing block 39 is out of contact with stop 68, since top roll 11 is supported by its contact with lower roll 10 to space block 39 above stop 68, while if the bars 22, 24 be raised to pull the top rolls away from their cooperating bottom rolls, in so doing, stops 68 are raised into contact with bearing blocks 39 and through said stops is applied the force necessary to pull themagnetic top rolls away from their cooperating bottom rolls.

If a lapup should occur so that an eXcess of fiber appears between any of the pairs of top and bottom rolls, such roll will move upward until its bearing block 39 contacts adjustabe contact 70, and thereafter further accumulation of fiber will raise bars 22 or 24, or both. As soon as a bar 22 or 24 is raised to an appreciable degree by such a lap-up occuring on any of the rolls, switches 8 or 9 will be operated to stop the drafting element by means of a suitable control system.

Thus it will be seen that the invention provides a novel lap-up detecting magnetic drafting element. Various modifications of the invention, not herein disclosed, but within the spirit thereof and the scope of the appended claims, will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a magnetic drafting element having a series of pairs of ferrous bottom rolls and overlying magnetic top rolls cooperating therewith to draft a sliver passing therethrough, means guiding and supporting said magnetic top rolls in running position and in inoperative position raised above out of contact with said bottom rolls, said means comprising a pair of transversely spaced bars pivotally mounted at their rear ends, means underlying said bars for supporting the same in a desired pivotal location when said top rolls are in running position, a plurality of slotted roll supporting and guiding elements mounted on said bars and adjustably positioned thereon, for movement therealong, each said roll supporting element supporting and guiding an end of one of said top rolls for limited movement along its slot toward and away from its said cooperating bottom roll and having stop means adjacent the end of its said slot, preventing said rolls from passing out of said slots, said stop means being out of contact with said top rolls when said top rolls are in running position, stop-motion switch means mounted on said supporting means, and adjustable contact means mounted on said bars extending into the upper end of said slots, whereby vertical movement of one of said top rolls relative to its said bottom roll by accumulation of an excess of fiber therebetween into contact with said contact means will raise at least one of said bars relative to a cooperating element of said switch means to actuate said switch means.

2. In a magnetic drafting element having a ferrous bottom roll and an overlying magnetic top roll cooperating therewith to draft sliver passing therethrough, the improvement comprising:

means guiding and supporting said magnetic top roll in a running position and in an inoperative position raised out of contact with said bottom roll; said means including a pair of spaced bar members extending transversely of and adjacent said top roll;

means interconnecting opposite end portions of said top roll to respective ones of said bar members;

means pivotally mounting each of said bar members for movement, at least in part independent of the other of said bar members, between a first position wherein said roll occupies its running position and a second position wherein said roll occupies its inoperative position;

said interconnecting means transmitting movement, of

a predetermined magnitude in an upward direction, of the opposite end portions of said top roll to said bar members interconnected therewith; and stop-motion switch means operatively associated with each of said bar members and actuatable by a predetermined degree of pivotal movement thereof in response to said upward movement of said top roll;

an excess of fiber between said rolls raising said top roll and moving at least one of said bar members to actuate said switch means. 3. In a magnetic drafting element as in claim 2, and having a plurality of pairs of said top and bottom rolls arranged in series;

said bar members extending transversely of and adjacent said top rolls, and corresponding opposite end portions of said top rolls being connected by said interconnecting means to respective ones of said bar members at longitudinally spaced locations thereof;

said bar members each being pivotally mounted adjacent one end thereof;

and operating knob means carried by each of said bar members adjacent the opposite end thereof for moving the same to said first and second positions thereof.

4. In a magnetic drafting element as in claim 2, wherein said interconnecting means loosely interconnects said top roll and said bar members to provide a desired degree of lost motion therebetween.

5. In a magnetic drafting element as in claim 3, wherein said interconnecting means includes means adjustable to provide a desired degree of lost motion between said top rolls and said bar members.

6. In a magnetic drafting element having a series of pairs of ferrous bottom rolls and overlying magnetic top rolls cooperating therewith to draft sliver passing therethrough, the improvement comprising:

means guiding and supporting said magnetic top rolls in running position and in inoperative position raised out of contact with said bottom rolls;

said means including a pair of spaced bar members spanning said series of rolls and extending transversely of and adjacent said top rolls;

means loosely interconnecting, so as to provide a degree of lost motion therebetween, corresponding opposite end portions of said top rolls and respective ones of said bar members; means mounting each of said bar members for manual movement, at least in part independent of and relative to the other of said bar members, between a first position wherein said top rolls occupy said running position and a second position wherein said top rolls occupy said inoperative position thereof;

means carried by each of said bar members for manually moving the same to said first and second positions thereof;

said interconnecting means transmitting movement, of

a predetermined magnitude in an upward direction, of the opposite end portions of said top rolls to said bar members interconnected therewith; and stop-motion switch means operatively associated with each of said bar members and actuatable by a predetermined degree of movement thereof in response to said upward movement of said top rolls;

an excess of fiber between one of said pairs of said rolls raising said top roll thereof and moving at least one of said bar members to actaute said switch means.

7. In magnet drafting element as in claim 6, wherein said interconnecting means includes means adjustable to permit variation of the degree of lost motion between said bar members and said top rolls.

8. In a magnetic drafting element as in claim 6, wherein said interconnecting means comprises a plurality of slotted elements supported by and adjustably positionable longitudinally of said bar members, each of said slotted elements receiving an end portion of one of top rolls and including a stop member disposed beneath said roll end portion and an adjustable contact disposed above said roll end portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,579,414 4/1926 Thoma 19259 2,513,872 7/1950 Hord et al. 19--265 XR 2,813,309 11/1957 West et a1. 19-.26 3,256,570 6/1966 Kaino 19-295 FOREIGN PATENTS 906,029 5/ 1945 France.

DORSEY NEWTON, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 19.26, 295 

